Quote:
Originally posted by MiMiLamb
And miss me with "But you may want to become a mathematician when you grow up!"
Henny, I'm not sure what I want but it DEFINITELY ain't THAT
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You know, I think that there's a pretty huge misconception of careers in math, too, so let me just highlight this part.
Mathematicians and pure math majors are actually very rare in the current world, and yet math-based professions are soaring in popularity.
One of the most lucrative careers in the world is that of an actuary, which has its own major and its own programs, and it's totally math-based (geared toward insurance). In fact, the only thing that earns more is engineering in all its diverse applications; that's also heavily math-based.
The most popular career path of the decade will be, in four years time, in big data and data analytics; that's just now taking off and maybe half a dozen schools offer programs in it just yet, and in fact it's my own major, and it's heavy on math as well.
You might be asking why you give a **** if you're not going to look into all these careers, but why you should care is because these professions are so important. Without engineering and tech jobs, which are math-heavy, we wouldn't have the modern world as we know it. Cutting math as a requirement early on, like in high school or even junior high, would be extremely damaging to these career fields and to modern society as a whole. I've always been a math ace, but I hated it - I only eventually was led to a major and hopefully a career in a math-heavy field because math was always required, even during this past semester in which I started college. And I'm not out of the ordinary in that respect - a lot of kids who go into mathematical and technical careers happen to hate it as kids. If not pushed, they would never discover a passion for these fields and there wouldn't be innovation, progression.
I guess my point is that if people refuse to see the mathematical applications in their everyday lives, and don't want to suffer through math for that, then they should suffer through math for the good of greater society so that fields that rely on math don't collapse and take modern technology along with it.
As an example, Anvarie - you keep bringing up looking to the internet or other sources for answers. That's fine, but if we don't stick to math requirements, then who's going to be giving you these answers? Who's going to be enabling machines to help you? Because our production of potential bright minds in tech and these fields will be severely inhibited, because of course 99% of kids are going to hate the subject and refuse to take it any further, when that next class might have been what clicked the switch for them. It might be a struggle for you, much as arts classes are a struggle for me in some ways, but its practical uses necessitate its promotion to students, in my opinion.